


Dream Boat

by Gardian



Category: Voltron Legendary Defender
Genre: Langst., Langsty-mc-langstface, Other, kid lance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-11-09 02:13:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11094759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gardian/pseuds/Gardian
Summary: The Mission was going perfectly until Lance takes a hit from Haggar meant for Shiro. Now Shiro must race against the clock to save Lance from the nightmare he's be trapped in. However will he discover something he never expected along the way?





	Dream Boat

The mission had gone perfectly.  
Too perfectly.  
They had managed to trap Haggar in a Glara hanger completely cut off from any reinforcement and surrounded by all five paladins.  
They should of known the moment it looked like the witch was about to surrender that it was a trap.  
No one knew the exact moment she sent the ball of black energy flying at Shiro, they didn’t even see her so much as twitch.No one had done anything.  
No one but Lance.  
Voltron’s resident sharpshooter not only saw the danger but also acted quick enough to push Shiro out of the way.  
Keith charged forwards with his sword and Hunk shot a few blasts as her. But before any could hit Hagar clapped her hands together and disappeared into the shadows.  
“Quiznark” Keith cursed kicking the ground in frustration.  
“Lance?” Shiro’ worried voice cut through Keith’s anger like a hot knife through the food goo.  
.Pidge and Hunk were already there surrounding the blue paladin and Keith quickly joined them.  
“Shiro what’s wrong?” He asked coming to stand behind the leader.  
Shiro had Lance’s head cradled in his lap, his usually dark skin was a sickly pale in comparison.  
He had a shine of sweat on his forehead and seemed to be in pain.  
But that’s not what worries Keith.  
Lance wouldn’t wake up no matter how much Shiro shook him, or even Pidge giving him a shock with their bayard.  
“He’s not responding!” Shiro gasped frantically shaking the younger paladin.“What’s going on!” Allura yelled over the coms.  
“It’s Lance, he’s down!” Pidge yelled back on the verge of tears.  
“I’m bringing the castle round to your location, we must get him to the infirmary as soon as possible!” ———————————–  
“It’s a fear spell” Corran supplied brushing Lance’s hair out of his face with as much love as a farther may do to his child.  
“What does that mean? Will he wake up?” Shiro asked standing a little away from where Lance was lying in the infirmary.After getting back Allura had informed them that without knowing exactly what the spell was they couldn’t simply just put him in a pod and hope for the best.  
It would take a few hours and despite the numerous protests Shiro sent the rest of the team to rest, leaving only him and the two Altean’s to watch over him.  
“A fear spell forces the victim to live through their greatest fear… until their heart can’t take the stress anymore and they die.” Allura frowned.  
“There has to be something we can do! We can’t just let him die.” Shiro snapped uncrossing his arms and stepping closer.The two Altean’s exchanged a look.“What?”  
“Well there may be a way but…. it’s very dangerous.” Allura bit her lip “if someone were to enter Lance’s mind and wake him up that way he may just survive.”  
"May?” Shiro asked.  
“You have to understand that with both magic and the mind nothing is certain…” Corran looked distraught as Lance whimpered in pain.  
“I’ll do it.” Shiro declared “I’m the leader this is my responsibility.”  
“No Shiro I will. I’m the one who brought you all into this war, I should be the one to take the risk.” Allura argued.  
“I’m afraid Princess in order to go into another’s mind you must be the same species in order for it work properly.” Corran explained placing a hand on Shiro’s shoulder. “It’s up to you ma boy. Bring him back to us.” ———————————–  
A little while later Shiro was lying next to Lance on a spare bed with a weird alien mind share head band on both him and Lance.  
“Remember Shiro, you have to find Lance in the nightmare and convince him to wake up.” Corran said as he activated the headbands.  
That was the last thing Shiro saw before he fell into the ocean.  
\-----------------------------------  
There was a moment of terror when Shiro couldn’t figure out which was was up and which way was down.  
He tumbled in the ocean lost in the pitch blackness with his lungs screaming for air.  
Finally he spotted a flash of light above him, he swam towards it not slowing down until he broke the surface and gulped in air hungrily.  
He looked around not sure how he got to the ocean in the middle of a storm.  
He was being knocked back and forth by the violent waves, his only source of light the occasional flash of lightning that would streak across the sky now and again.  
Shiro fought to remain above the water, but as every minuet ticked by his arms and legs became increasingly heavy.  
He knew he couldn’t keep this up for much longer.  
Just when he had about given up he spotted a small building during one of the lightning strikes.  
It wasn’t much, it could of been a trick of the light but it was the best shot he had. Shiro began to swim like he had never swam before. With a kind of frantic desperation that only came from a man that knew it was move or die.  
It felt like hours but in fact was only a few minutes before he pulled himself up into the sand.  
Shiro rolled onto his back panting as he lay there staring up at the black clouds being pelted with rain.  
He finally stood up taking in his surroundings.  
He was on a tiny little island with only one small house. Well more of a shed, made of pieces of different coloured wood with metal shutters being beaten in the wind.  
Shiro walked to the old chipped door not sure if knocking would be worth the effort.  
The place looked abandoned and even if anyone was inside, it would be unlikely they would hear him over the sound of the raging storm.  
He brought his knuckles to the door and softly tapped on the wood only for the door to creak open.  
“Hello?” Shiro called stepping inside the door slamming behind him.  
“Well that’s not creepy at all” he mumbled to himself walking further inside.  
The house only appeared to have three rooms at most with the main room being fitted with a small kitchen, a old brown couch facing an ancient box tv about the size of a small box.  
In the opposite corner there was a double bed pushed against the wall next to a wonky dresser.  
Suddenly there was a scurrying sound from behind him.  
Shiro spun round in time to see a shadow slip through a small almost missable door pained a dark blue.  
Shiro made his prosthetic glow illuminating the room in a light purple glow.  
He slowly opened the door ready to attack.  
He burst into the room hand pointed and ready when his eyes fell on a small quivering figure huddled in the corner.Shiro stared.  
It was a kid.  
He couldn’t of been much older then five. Small painfully thin body huddled away holding a hunting knife in both hands trembling and staring up at Shiro terror clear in his large blue eyes.  
Shiro lowered his hand the glow dissipating as he stared at the little boy.“Shhh it’s ok I won’t hurt you.”  
He went down to one knee so he wasn’t towering over the boy.  
The boy shook with fear holding the knife up tears falling down his cheeks.  
Shiro cursed under his breath scooting back to give the boy more room.  
He wished he knew what to do but he never had much contact with kids and was at a loss for what would ease the child’s fears.  
His train of thought was interrupted by a loud rumbling noise coming not from the storm but the boys stomach.  
“Hey buddy are you hungry?” Shiro asked slowly pulling a ration bar out of his belt.The boy didn’t answer but the way he stared at the bar told Shiro everything he needed to know.  
“You can have this if you like.” He smiled placing it within arms reach of the boy. He just stared at it for a moment before slowly, very slowly reaching out and taking it.  
He ate so fast it was almost comical if not for the disturbing question plaguing Shiro’s mind.  
‘When was the last time this kid ate?’While he ate Shiro sat crossed leg across from him watching and waiting for the kids next move.  
To his surprise once he had finished the boy placed the knife down in front of him and looking at Shiro expectantly.  
The black paladin realised he wanted more food.  
Without hesitating he pulled three more bars out of his belt and handed them over.  
As he ate Shiro looked round the room. It was small. More like a closest then a room with just a few large pillows covered by a blanket acting as a bed.  
“Do you know where we are?” Shiro asked only for the boy to shake his head.“Is there anyone else?”  
Again the boy shook his head.  
“Can you speak?”  
The boy stopped for a moment before slowly nodding.  
Despite himself Shiro chuckled “just don’t want to then? Did your parents tell you not to talk to strangers?”  
He had meant it as a joke but when the kid nodded Shiro smiled.  
Something so innocent was so sweet coming from someone so small.  
“Well if I tell you my name then I’m not a stranger am I?”  
The boy seemed to consider this for a moment before nodding.  
“Good. My names Shiro nice to meet you. What’s your name?”  
The boy didn’t do anything for a really long time, when he finally spoke it was so quiet Shiro almost missed it over the rumble.  
"Lance"

Shiro smiled down at the boy “Lance hmm, I have a friend named Lance, he’s one of the bravest people I’ve ever met. Annoying and a bit too loud sometimes, but with this special kind of optimism you don’t see in many people.”  
Lance looked up at him in wonder finneshing the last of the rations “really?”Shiro chuckled “yeah really.”  
Lance smiled for a moment “I can be brace too then… even when the monsters come.”  
“Monsters?” Shiro questioned cold dread settling into his stomach.  
Lance nodded as the front door was ripped off its hinges.  
Lance whimpered in terror grabbing hold of Shiro’s arm.  
Shiro instinctively pushed Lance behind him as he slowly opened the door to see what was going on.  
In space Shiro had seen many terrifying things.  
Glara.  
Fighting in the arena.  
Being experimented on by the druids.None of it prepared him for this.  
The creatures were large, their black bodies made of solid shadows were bent as to fit in the tiny house.  
Their too long arms scrapped across the floor long rotten claws leaving deep scratches the wooden floor.  
Their yellow teeth seemed to hover in front of their sold black faces.  
However the worst thing was their eyes.So human and inhuman at the same time.  
Far to small on their large faces all blood shot and oozing yellow puss.  
The three figures slowly creaked towards them, their joints protesting every agonisingly slow step.  
Shiro as quietly as possible closed the door with a soft click.  
He turned his attention back to Lance and felt his heart clench.  
The boy was pale and shaking clinging to Shiro’s arm like a life line.  
He knew he had to get Lance out of here, but the boy looked on the verge of a panic attack, his breathing already too quick and too short.  
“Hey it’s ok I won’t let them get you ok.” Shiro whispered pulling the boy onto his lap and hugging him close.  
“I-I know… they don’t come in here.” Lance whispered cuddling into Shiro acting like it had been a long time since he had any kind of human affection.  
Then again considering how long it seemed since the boy had last eaten its possible it had been even longer since he had contact of any kind.  
“You’ve seen these things before?” Shiro asked afraid of the answer.  
“Every night for almost two weeks.” Lance mumbled.  
“What about your family?”  
“On the first day they dragged off my brother and my sisters. The next day they took my papa and ….”  
Lance sniffed and Shiro wrapped his arms around the painfully thin boy.  
“They can’t come in here through. They pace by the door but never come in and always leave a little later.” 

Suddenly a Clawed hand came bursting through the door raining splinters down over the two.  
Lance screamed.  
Shiro jumped to his feet holding Lance close to his chest with his flesh arm and powered up his prosthetic.  
In one smooth motion he cut the arm off, kicked open the door and ran.  
He kept running even when he felt the claws scraping down his back, the adrenaline saving him from the blunt of the pain.  
He kept running until they were out the house.  
He kept running through the rain even though he couldn’t even see his own hand in front of his face.  
But he could hear the creaking noises of the things following after them.  
So he kept running praying for a plan to come to him.  
———————————–

“Corran something’s wrong with Shiro!” Allura yelled as the machines around her blared displaying the black paladins elevated heart rate.Corran pushed her gently aside as he frowned at the results.“He’s dying.”  
\-----------------------------------

Shiro kept running until he reached a wall of palm trees that he hadn’t previously been aware of.  
He didn’t question why the bark was the colour of ash or where this seemingly large Forrest came from.  
Trees meant cover, and that was something they needed desperately.  
Shiro weaved throughout the trees as the creaking sounds became quieter as he enlarged the distance between them and the things.  
By time they came to a small clearing Shiro was gasping for breath and it had seemed that for now at least they were safe.  
He slowly slid down the tree he was leaning against until he was sitting on the sandy floor wincing when his back came in contact with the rough bark.  
He knew he need to treat his wounds, but first things first.  
Shiro looked down at the quivering bundle in his arms, his sobs quiet but desperate.  
“Hey Lance it’s ok.” He tried to run his hand through the boys hair only for him to flinch away and bury himself further into Shiro’s chest.  
Shiro sighed “I’m sorry”  
At this Lance looked up slightly.  
His blue eyes red and swollen from so much crying.  
“I’m no good with making people feel better. I’m too used to soldiers that sometimes I forget some aren’t and can’t always handle what’s going on. I can’t stop Hunks anxiety, Keith’s rage, Pidge’s grief…I didn’t even ask if Lance is ok. My friend Lance. He always puts on this happy face, always watching out for others, but I can tell it's an act. That he's hurting just as much as everyone else. But I kept telling myself that he’s a soldier, and as long as he can keep going and keep the others moving that his feelings don’t matter. That’s the job of a soldier after all.”Again Shiro stroked Lance’s hair allowing himself a small smile at how the boy moved towards his touch this time.  
“He’d know how to make you feel better. He’s amazing in that way I guess. He always knows what to say to cheer someone up. Something I could never do. I just wish I had taken a moment tell him that. To tell him just how irreplaceable he truly is not just as a paladin but also as friend.”  
Lance sniffed lifting his head properly. “Why don’t you tell him?” He asked so quietly his voice was almost lost by the howling wind and relentless rain. “Everyone elses problems tend to scream in you face… I guess he just got lost in the noise.” Shiro admitted shamefully.“That happens to me as well. I have five older sisters and one brother, they all are so noisy that mama sometimes forgets I’m there and forgets to give me dinner or tell me when their going on a family walk.” Lance looked around like he expected his mother to materialise and tell his off.  
“But I’m not supposed to tell anyone because Mama could get in trouble.” He whispered.  
Shiro felt his heart clench.  
How the boy admitted to being over looked and forgotten it reminded him of how he treated his Lance.  
How he often ignored him in favour of helping another team member out.  
“I promise I won’t tell anyone.”  
“Really?” Lance asked with guarded eyes.Shiro held out his little finger “really.”Lance smiled slightly wrapping his tiny finger around Shiro’s much larger one.  
“Ok then I trust you.”———————————–

“Dying what do you mean!” Allura asked alarmed.  
“Well you see Shiro must be making some head way.” Corran explained looking down at Lance who seemed to be sleeping a little more peacefully, his brow less creased in pain and his whimpers quieter. “The spell is trying to get rid of Shiro because he’s making progress towards waking Lance up. The closer he gets.”  
“The greater the danger to Shiro.” Allura sighed running a hand through Shiro’s hair.  
His heart rate had spiked alarmingly high but since then had thankfully dropped down to normal.  
“All we can do is wait and pray that Shiro can get through to Lance before the spell gets to Shiro”  
Corran frowned wishing that it were as simple as Allura had put it.———————————–

Shiro hissed in pain.  
With the adrenaline quickly leaving his system, the pain was hitting him full force.  
He wished he was in his paladin armour. It may of protected him from the blow, and the belt was stocked with better first aid then what he carried in his normal clothes.  
“Did one of the monsters get you?” Lance asked.  
Shiro was about to answer no when Lance crawled out of his arms going round to his back.  
The sharp intake of breath told him just how bad it was.  
“Lance don’t loo-”  
“I need disinfectant, a needle, thread and some bandages.” The boy stated simply like it were the most normal request in the world.  
Fumbling for a moment Shiro handed over his kit and without hesitation Lance began to tend to his wound with a disturbing amount of professionalism.“How?” Shiro found was the only thing he could say.  
“My brother would sometimes come home with injuries. He couldn’t tell papa because he got them fighting in this club to get extra money. So he taught me so I could take care of the ones he couldn’t reach. One time he came came with knife marks all over his back and I had to sew them up.”  
Shiro swallowed the lump in his throat as Lance cleaned and patched up his wounds.  
It just sounded so wrong hearing a little kid taking about serious injuries so casually.  
After a few minutes Lance had put a layer of gauze on the wounds and hopped done with a chipper “done.”  
He sounded so proud of himself that Shiro found himself smiling despite the pain. “Well done buddy, your amazing.”  
Lance beamed at the praise.  
However their happy moment was short lived as the forest suddenly burst into flames around them and the creatures appeared through the smoke having the two completely surrounded.

 

“Shiro?” Lance asked his voice quivering.Shiro looked around.  
There was no way out, between the things and the fire they were trapped.  
The figures were slowly approaching, teasing them knowing there was no where to go.  
“Shiro!” Lance tugged on his sleeve gaining the older mans attention.  
Lance was pointing upwards and it took a moment before Shiro realised what he was doing.  
“Lance your a genius!” Shiro waisted no time grabbing Lance putting the boy on his back.  
“Hold on tight.” He yelled as he powered up his prosthetic the purple glow lost in comparison to the orange flickering flames surrounding them.  
He dug his glowing fingers into the bark and began to climb.  
He didn’t look down just climbed higher and higher.  
Shiro didn’t know what they would do once they reached the top.  
Even if the things couldn’t climb the fire would get them.  
Lance was coughing as the smoke became thicker and thicker.  
They just had to get above the tree line.“Hang on buddy, almost there.” Shiro said through gritted teeth as he pulled them up higher and higher his back screaming with the strain put on his wounds.  
From the wet feeling on his back the stitches likely popped.  
By time they reached the top Shiro’s arms felt like jelly and his head felt light from blood loss.  
Up this high the air was a little clearer and they couldn’t see the things beneath them.  
But they could feel the heat radiating from below.  
Shiro didn’t say it.  
But he knew there was no way out of this. He was fine with dying.  
He had lived much longer then he had ever expected, but it wasn’t just him. Lance was here.  
Lance was far too young to die, too young to have to be in a situation like this.  
“Shiro what do we do now? How do we get out of here?” Lance asked trying to put on a brave face but was failing as tears fell down his cheeks.  
Shiro pulled the boy into a hug  
“I don’t know… I’m so sorry I let you down.”  
“It’s ok… Shiro your still my friend… are you my friend?” He asked hesitantly like he expected rejection.  
Shiro smiled “yeah buddy Your my friend too.”  
“Really?” Lance asked holding out his little finger.  
“Yeah really.” Shiro linked his little finger with Lances smaller one.

Then the tree began to sway, seconds from falling.  
Shiro did the only thing he could.  
He grabbed Lance and held him close as they fell towards the ground far below hoping to take the blunt of the force.  
Shiro didn’t feel the impact.  
He felt like instead of falling he was being dragged upwards into a blinding white light.  
———————————–

Shiro sat bolt upright in bed in the infirmary breathing heavily with his heart racing.  
Allura and Corran were running around yelling something back and forth.  
Shiro was confused for a moment before his eyes ended up on Lance lying on his side and coughing his lungs up.  
Lance!  
Shiro jumped off the bed almost falling over in the process as he crossed the distance between them putting a hand on his shoulder and rubbing soothing circles on his back.  
“Lance are you ok?” He asked.  
The blue paladin looked up just as he made a gagging noise and black smoke began to pour out of his mouth.  
“Shiro move!” Allura snapped all but shoving him out of the way and she put a strange mask over Lance’s mouth that seemed to actually suck the smoke away.As Shiro watched it all came back to him. The kid in his memories, how he acted, how he looked, that unbeatable optimism and need to help.  
The boy he had met it had been Lance.  
His Lance.

 

The next few days were tough.  
Allura said that the spell had been expelled from his body but the strain it had caused left Lance with a high fever and bed ridden.  
The entire team took shifts sitting with him trying to get his fever down.  
By the end of the week everyone was exhausted but Lance’s fever had finally been broken.  
Shiro sat by Lance’s bed.  
Since waking up he hadn’t had a chance to actually talk to Lance about what he had seen in his mind and now that Lance was at least sort of coherent he wasn’t sure how to bring it up.  
Luckily he didn’t have to.  
“I was six.”  
“Hmmm?” Shiro hummed questioning.“What you saw I’ve been having that nightmare since I was sick.”  
Shiro pulled his chair closer to the bed helping Lance sit up, propped against a few pillows.  
“We didn’t have much, we always needed money and when my mama found out she was pregnant again my Papa… he got a loan from some not very nice people.” Lance swallowed  
“Mama lost the baby, and we lost Mama a few days later, used all the money on hospital bills. The men Papa borrowed the money from still wanted it paying back.” Lance pulled his knees up against his chest.  
“We didn’t have anything… they wanted to take my sisters to work of the debt. My brother stepped up and worked fighting in this betting ring. But it wasn’t enough and they still wanted my sisters. So one night we were all going to run away. But the men came… Papa held them off while my siblings got away but I hid in the back room and I saw when they ….they.” Lances lip started to trembled.  
Acting on instinct Shiro pulled him into a hug.  
“I couldn’t get out. His body blocked the door. It wasn’t until the police came knocking almost a 2 weeks later did I get out.”  
Shiro ran his fingers through his hair making quiet shushing noises when Lance began to sob.  
“Did you find your family again?”  
Lance nodded not looking up from where his face was buried in Shiro’s chest.  
“We all moved in with my mama’s parents in America.”  
Shiro nodded “look Lance everything I said I really did mean it. Your amazing, having gone through something like that but still acting so happy all the time looking out for everyone.”  
Shiro pulled away cupping Lance’s face with his hands.  
"Your the best blue paladin we could ever hope for. I know I don’t say it enough, but you hold this team together. Thank you for that Lance.”  
Lance began to cry again throwing his arms around Shiro’s neck  
“I didn’t realise just how badly I needed to hear that. Thank you. Thank you so much.”  
Shiro smiled "any time buddy."

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my tumblr Langsty-Mc-langstface


End file.
